No one thinks twice about holding a baby shower for a pregnant mom to be. Invitations to friends and family are sent. Gifts are bought from the baby registry at the department store. And, people congratulate the soon to be parents at the shower. So can someone throw you an adoption shower? Absolutely! Is there an age limit to the child? No way!
Before you go start registering for gifts, you need to decide on when to have the shower. And, I don’t mean Saturday evening versus Sunday afternoon. You need to consider whether you want your shower before the child arrives or after. This decision will probably be based on whether it is an international or domestic adoption. Here’s why. In a domestic adoption, the child may not be placed with you after he or she is born. It can be quite devastating to have all of these baby gifts and no baby. In an international adoption, a child may be overwhelmed by all of the people and noise if you hold the shower after he or she arrives in your home.
After you decide on when to hold the shower, you need to consider the child’s age. If the child is an infant, then a traditional baby shower will most likely be acceptable. If the child is older, then the shower needs to be adjusted to reflect the child’s age. This type of shower should focus on welcoming the child into the family and showing excitement at his or her arrival. Buy age appropriate toys and clothing, instead of the traditional baby gifts. If you have the shower after the older child arrives, consider keeping the guest list small as not to overwhelm the child.
When invitations are sent for your adoption shower, consider adding information about the adoption on the invitations. You could include the birth date, adoption date, and birth place (especially if it is in a foreign country or another state). The theme of the shower can also reflect the child’s birth place. If he or she was born in Texas, consider a western themed shower. If he or she was born in Russia, incorporate elements of Russian culture and food into the adoption shower.
There are so many other options and things to consider with an adoption shower. Check here for more ideas!
